Less than a mile east of I-75, just off Bee Ridge Road at the northern end of Mauna Loa Boulevard, is Baytown Square, a gated, maintenance-free community offering privacy and security to families and working people in pleasant surroundings.

The 89 two-story, attached townhomes occupy 15 buildings, situated around a rectangular ring road, composed of Boxwood Drive, Baytown Drive, and Twilight Gray Lane. Eight of the buildings are grouped around a central pond. Three back onto a large lake at the eastern end of the neighborhood with a sparkling water fountain and a forest backdrop on the other side. The rest have views of Florida woods, wetlands and greenbelts.

Started in 2016, Baytown Square is another affordable home development in the Sarasota-Bradenton area by D.R. Horton, a giant, national home builder headquartered in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s a nice, basic community,” said Benjamin Litke, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker. “D.R. Horton is a value builder without a lot of frills.”

Amenities are limited to a community pool, keeping HOA dues low – from $160 to $184 a month. There are no CDD fees.

D.R. Horton offered just two floor plans with three bedrooms, two or 2.5 bathrooms, a guest room and a one-car garage. Living spaces were devised with 1,674 and 1,530 square feet under air. End units have side entries. Interior homes have front entrances. Buildings have a minimum of four units.

Design choices reflect attention to convenience. “It was smart of the builder to put half a bathroom on the main floor and the laundry upstairs so you don’t have to go up and down the stairs as much,” said Litke.

Granite countertops, covered balconies and screened-in patios in back provide comfortable spots to sit and enjoy the views. He has one of the larger townhomes under contract at 6413 Boxgrove Drive. The 3-bed, 2.5-bath townhome has granite countertops in the kitchen, a covered balcony and a screened-in patio in back.

Although the townhomes were initially priced in the $200,000s, values have risen to the mid- to upper-$300,000 since then. Litke’s listing had an asking price of $360,000.

The demographics in Baytown Square are a mix of mostly younger residents. “There are families with teens and kids in their early 20s still living at home, families with younger children, and working people,” Litke said. “I haven’t seen a lot of retired couples. The stairs tend to discourage older buyers.”

School-age children can attend Tatum Ridge or Lakeview Elementary, McIntosh Middle, and Sarasota High School.

Baytown Square is a pet-friendly community. Homeowners can rent their townhouse twice a year for a minimum 6-month lease agreement.

“It’s a great place for those who need to travel north or south – easy to get to places even in Tampa and St. Pete, and now with the new development around the Bee Ridge corridor, there is more commercial development,” Litke said. “You don’t have to travel far to get to amenities.”

There is convenient access to shopping, restaurants, fitness clubs, banking and medical facilities, including Doctors Hospital. UTC and Lakewood Ranch’s activity hubs are just two exits north on the interstate. Downtown Sarasota and Lido and Siesta Key beaches are within a half-hour’s drive.

For golf enthusiasts, nearby Bent Tree, Laurel Oak Country Club, and Heritage Oaks all offer memberships. There are several fitness clubs a few minutes away, too.

Townhomes in Baytown Square don’t come on the market often, and those that do go quickly. Litke's sold after just two open houses and had multiple offers. "It's unusual east of the interstate, but we had a good turnout," he said.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Market Snapshot: Baytown Square built with affordability in mind